>> To understand how adult learning principles play a role ingood instructional design, it's helpful to look at an example.Imagine a group of new managers are given a choice of two training programs.Each class covers five fundamental manager roles.Both are online and self-paced.Based on a short introduction to each one think about which ofthe following programs most participants would prefer.Here's the first example.>> The five roles that every manager must know and understand.Producer, achieve goals and accomplish results forthe company through the tasks and work that you do.

Administrator, oversee systems, policies andprocedures to ensure the company is running at peak levels.Innovator, use creativity andideation to delineate new opportunities to improve the business or resolve problems.Mediator, help your people work through conflict between themselves andwith employees in other departments.Culture builder, create a positive work environment that engages employees andaligns with the company's objectives.>> Now, here's the second example.>> As a manager, you'll play a few different roles.As I go through the five primary roles,think about how you play them over the course of your work week.

The first is producer.You must produce the desired results andachieve the organization's goals through projects and tasks.Second is administrator.You must administer systems, policies, andprocedures so that the organization runs efficiently.Third is innovator.In order to enact change that serves the organization's future,you'll need to be creative and innovate new ideas or solutions.Fourth is mediator.Not only will you need to help your employees work through conflict,you'll also mediate any tensions between the employees needs andthe organization's.

And fifth is culture builder.You must build a work environment and culture that values it's members andsupports the organization's goals.>> It's a safe bet that most participants would prefer the second program, but why?Let's see if we can identify some specific reasons why the second program wasmore engaging.If you'd like to try to create your own list before seeing mine I invite you topause the video now, you can also re-watch the two examples while taking notes.Okay, let's look at a few differences between the two training programs.

The second example was more visually dynamic.The presenter in example number two was more engaging.The onscreen text was also simpler in the second example.These are just a few examples.And you may have come up with even more.What's most important is that the differences between the two examplesreflect the impact of adult learning principles.Adult learning principles are the concepts andtheories that tell us how adults learn.Understanding these principles can help us design training that's more engaging andmore effective.

No matter what type of learning you design,whether it's classroom-based, e-learning video, orblended, applying adult learning principles can make it better.These concepts aren't just about designing training that's moreappealing to learners.You can use them to accelerate the learning process.Understanding adult learners can ultimately help youdesign training that gets better results.While completing this course, try to think about your own needs andpreferences as an adult learner.Understanding how we learn can provide us with insight about helping others learn.

As you'll see throughout this course, one of the fundamental principles ofadult learning is that adults must play an active role in their own learning process.You might start by reviewing the course description andwriting down a few specific learning goals.You could download the Learning Plan worksheet to use as a guide.Having this list of goals will make it easier to spot the specific concepts thatare most important to you.It will also help you make decisions about how you canapply these concepts to your own work.

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Released

9/23/2014

Adult learners have specific needs that have to be considered during the instructional design process. In this course, one in a series on instructional design, Jeff Toister explores the best practices and techniques that will help designers work with, and train, adult learners. Explore the theory behind adult learning, discover techniques to increase active (vs. passive) learning, see how to identify and surmount barriers to learning, and get additional resources for developing training for adults.